frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Yummy! All the baking and treat making y’all are doing is giving me inspiration! I need to go look at some recipes!
hqueen's collection of Far From the Usual stuff.
- Thread starter hqueen13
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hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
@flowerbug I do enjoy baking, but I always wait longer than I would like to and then end up rushing to really get stuff done. So it goes.
Yesterday I went with the boss to the other location in VA, and that was a good trip. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I feared, and we made decent time coming home. The BF had an appointment with the dentist to have a tooth removed at 5:30, and we got back to the boss's house at 5:21. I RACED down to the dentist office, which thankfully wasn't THAT far away, and was there by 6. I was already starving, and then the BF's extraction didn't go as easily as they hoped, apparently the root was really long on his tooth and they had to drill it apart, so that took longer, and we didn't get out of there until 7. I stopped at Panera for soup and took it home while the BF went to get his prescription filled. We got home close to the same time and had dinner and crashed into bed. The BF said he's not feeling terrible today which is good.
I'm working from home today and close to finishing up my time. I also got the last couple of the BF's presents wrapped up, and did a load of laundry. I still need to go make the bed again since it was sheets. I want to vacuum because I don't want to open presents tomorrow in a dirty living room, but while I was wrapping presents I tweaked my back again. I haven't done that in a LONG time, I guess I was slouching while sitting on the floor and when I went to get up it went into spasms. I'd like to lay down on the floor in constructive rest, too, but the floor is too dirty.
The BF should be getting off of work soon, hopefully, so we can finish up the last few things this afternoon. We need to bag up the cookies, and maybe make one more batch, and I need to run to the grocery store to get him some yogurt (gotta combat the antibiotics) and a few other softer things for him to eat for the next few days. We're supposed to go to his cousin's tonight for dinner or something, but I would really rather stay here. I expect we'll go because it's a meal we don't have to cook, but I don't want to be there long for sure. I don't have to be in any barns today, and I actually don't have to be in any barns tomorrow, either, so I'm going to enjoy that.
I might stop by the barn where Storm is to drop off holiday treats for everybody, and to check on him. He broke the fence 3 days in a row because he didn't have enough hay, and so now he has to stay in until she can fix the fence (his final bust out broke a post, and the ground has been frozen, so she couldn't fix it that day) and I have to figure out how to get more hay out to him. I'm really frustrated because the situation is really limited and I end up wasting INSANE amounts on hay that he doesn't actually end up eating trying to keep him fed. So I have to figure out some options and hopefully I can come up with something that will work sufficiently. Plus another friend of mine loaned me a solar fence charger. There used to be one on the field, but she took it off and he had been fine. But I guess he's hungry enough that he's decided he doesn't want to stay in anymore. I'm tired of her mis-management of the place anyway. The fences are barely held together by a prayer, some are leaning at nearly 45 degree angles, and she's surprised when horses bust out. They don't put money into the place for upkeep, they never keep up with the mowing in the summer because something is always broken, and the manure pile is a mountain again. And I'm always being asked to do maintenance on the field my horse is in (she suggested I put down grass seed this summer, despite the fact that he's GRAZING it, and she wanted me to pay for a load of stone to put down in the gate to combat the mud issues), which I think is unfair. I pay $175/month for the privilege of having a field and a stall, both of which are crappy. The only perk she offers is that despite being in the self care co-op she will turn out or bring in once a day so that we don't have to be there twice a day. She also does cover some shifts because we don't have enough people to cover all 7 days. But I'm asked to handle extra horses and clean a couple extra stalls for horses that aren't in the co-op, too, so that is a wash in my book. I pay for all his own feed (I would anyway), hay, and sawdust. In the summer she charges $5 extra to run a fan. Despite being so short on money, the checks sometimes don't get deposited until the middle of the month. She gets sawdust by the load and charges us for it, which we keep a running total on a chalkboard. Despite having been there for 2 years, I have paid for sawdust ONCE, and that bill was over $100 because of the back log. It is now backlogged again, to who knows what total.
So I'm really looking for alternatives now. I did hear of a farm that is offering a board/work situation that may even be paid. I could stomach WORKING for money a lot more than the arrangement that I have. All the work I'm currently doing is basically part of the agreement/trade, not to work off board/fees. It would be closer to the farms that I already take care of FOR MONEY, so that would cut down on my drive time back and forth. I don't know what the schedule is, but hopefully it's not 7 days a week, but we'll see. The income would be really helpful, and I often have to be down at the other farms 7 days a week anyway, so what's the difference. I called and left a message today, so we'll see what they say. All I know is that I want to get out of there. Ideally, I want to find someone with a small property with a couple of personal horses that could use extra help that would let me board in exchange for the work. Getting paid would be better, of course, but the work would probably be more. So we'll see what happens. I just want a better place than where he is now. I'm through with that. Hopefully something good comes through quickly.
I hope all of yall have a Merry Merry whatever you celebrate. I love hanging out with you all and wish I had more time to spend reading your notes and posts!
Yesterday I went with the boss to the other location in VA, and that was a good trip. Traffic wasn't nearly as bad as I feared, and we made decent time coming home. The BF had an appointment with the dentist to have a tooth removed at 5:30, and we got back to the boss's house at 5:21. I RACED down to the dentist office, which thankfully wasn't THAT far away, and was there by 6. I was already starving, and then the BF's extraction didn't go as easily as they hoped, apparently the root was really long on his tooth and they had to drill it apart, so that took longer, and we didn't get out of there until 7. I stopped at Panera for soup and took it home while the BF went to get his prescription filled. We got home close to the same time and had dinner and crashed into bed. The BF said he's not feeling terrible today which is good.
I'm working from home today and close to finishing up my time. I also got the last couple of the BF's presents wrapped up, and did a load of laundry. I still need to go make the bed again since it was sheets. I want to vacuum because I don't want to open presents tomorrow in a dirty living room, but while I was wrapping presents I tweaked my back again. I haven't done that in a LONG time, I guess I was slouching while sitting on the floor and when I went to get up it went into spasms. I'd like to lay down on the floor in constructive rest, too, but the floor is too dirty.
The BF should be getting off of work soon, hopefully, so we can finish up the last few things this afternoon. We need to bag up the cookies, and maybe make one more batch, and I need to run to the grocery store to get him some yogurt (gotta combat the antibiotics) and a few other softer things for him to eat for the next few days. We're supposed to go to his cousin's tonight for dinner or something, but I would really rather stay here. I expect we'll go because it's a meal we don't have to cook, but I don't want to be there long for sure. I don't have to be in any barns today, and I actually don't have to be in any barns tomorrow, either, so I'm going to enjoy that.
I might stop by the barn where Storm is to drop off holiday treats for everybody, and to check on him. He broke the fence 3 days in a row because he didn't have enough hay, and so now he has to stay in until she can fix the fence (his final bust out broke a post, and the ground has been frozen, so she couldn't fix it that day) and I have to figure out how to get more hay out to him. I'm really frustrated because the situation is really limited and I end up wasting INSANE amounts on hay that he doesn't actually end up eating trying to keep him fed. So I have to figure out some options and hopefully I can come up with something that will work sufficiently. Plus another friend of mine loaned me a solar fence charger. There used to be one on the field, but she took it off and he had been fine. But I guess he's hungry enough that he's decided he doesn't want to stay in anymore. I'm tired of her mis-management of the place anyway. The fences are barely held together by a prayer, some are leaning at nearly 45 degree angles, and she's surprised when horses bust out. They don't put money into the place for upkeep, they never keep up with the mowing in the summer because something is always broken, and the manure pile is a mountain again. And I'm always being asked to do maintenance on the field my horse is in (she suggested I put down grass seed this summer, despite the fact that he's GRAZING it, and she wanted me to pay for a load of stone to put down in the gate to combat the mud issues), which I think is unfair. I pay $175/month for the privilege of having a field and a stall, both of which are crappy. The only perk she offers is that despite being in the self care co-op she will turn out or bring in once a day so that we don't have to be there twice a day. She also does cover some shifts because we don't have enough people to cover all 7 days. But I'm asked to handle extra horses and clean a couple extra stalls for horses that aren't in the co-op, too, so that is a wash in my book. I pay for all his own feed (I would anyway), hay, and sawdust. In the summer she charges $5 extra to run a fan. Despite being so short on money, the checks sometimes don't get deposited until the middle of the month. She gets sawdust by the load and charges us for it, which we keep a running total on a chalkboard. Despite having been there for 2 years, I have paid for sawdust ONCE, and that bill was over $100 because of the back log. It is now backlogged again, to who knows what total.
So I'm really looking for alternatives now. I did hear of a farm that is offering a board/work situation that may even be paid. I could stomach WORKING for money a lot more than the arrangement that I have. All the work I'm currently doing is basically part of the agreement/trade, not to work off board/fees. It would be closer to the farms that I already take care of FOR MONEY, so that would cut down on my drive time back and forth. I don't know what the schedule is, but hopefully it's not 7 days a week, but we'll see. The income would be really helpful, and I often have to be down at the other farms 7 days a week anyway, so what's the difference. I called and left a message today, so we'll see what they say. All I know is that I want to get out of there. Ideally, I want to find someone with a small property with a couple of personal horses that could use extra help that would let me board in exchange for the work. Getting paid would be better, of course, but the work would probably be more. So we'll see what happens. I just want a better place than where he is now. I'm through with that. Hopefully something good comes through quickly.
I hope all of yall have a Merry Merry whatever you celebrate. I love hanging out with you all and wish I had more time to spend reading your notes and posts!
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Poor BF - dental extractions - UGH! Hope he's feeling better now!
Good luck finding a new barn. Maybe you'll get a Christmas miracle!
Merry Christmas to you too!
Good luck finding a new barn. Maybe you'll get a Christmas miracle!
Merry Christmas to you too!
flowerbug
Sustainability Master
hope he recovers ok! my experience with dental stuff is that the pain that makes you want to go to the dentist is often much worse than it is once you have something dealt with...
- Thread starter
- #2,145
hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
He was an absolute TROOPER yall!!
So I ended up late getting back from our trip down to the other office in VA, but thankfully the dentist isn't that far from my boss's house. I RACED down to meet him, and they had already started numbing him. They kicked me out of the room before they started work, which didn't make me very happy, but I was also sort of relieved because I was REALLY hungry and I wasn't sure if I could actually be there to watch. He went in at 5:30 and it was only supposed to take 45 minutes. But we didn't leave until 7. The tooth had such long roots that the dentist had to cut the tooth in order to get it out. The BF did SO well, I'm SO proud of him. And you're totally right, @flowerbug he really isn't in that much discomfort. It's really stunk that he hasn't been able to chew properly, but thankfully it's a molar all the way in the back so that's actually way easier than having a bite tooth pulled. He also hasn't been able to drink, which has irritated him, but he's better for it anyway.
Things at the barn aren't improving yet. The BF and I went over there after we were done with his family stuff last night to get the hay cart out of the storage barn where it was so that I can use it to move hay up into Storm's field. I put out a pretty big pile, and then texted TM to let her know that we'd done it and to please put him out in the morning. She texted me back and said no, that the solar charger that my other friend brought over wasn't working and she wasn't putting him out until he had electric back on the field because he "didn't finish his hay net" when he broke out on Sunday. I had collected both of his hay nets after putting the pile of hay in the field, and what was left in the bottom of the bag was not really accessible to him because the bag was hanging so low. It was about 2 mouthfuls of hay. It's normal for horses to leave the last of it in the bottom because it's harder for them to get it out of the bag when it's collapsed. So now my horse has been standing in a stall since Sunday night. I KNOW they're only cleaning it once a day, and some days, if the gal comes late in the day, that means he's been standing in his filthy stall for 36 hours if she comes in the evening and they last cleaned it in the morning the day before. I only hope they're giving him more hay and water in the morning even if they aren't cleaning his stall. I'm REALLY ticked off right now, and would take him out today if I had the ability to do so, but I don't. So tonight the BF is going to come with me BACK to the barn to actually CHECK the charger that my friend dropped off. There is a VERY high likelihood that TM hooked it up wrong, and/or didn't properly check the wire around the field so it isn't holding a charge because the wire is grounding out. If none of those things are the case, then I'll have to go drop $120 on a solar charger, and then it will take another THREE DAYS for the thing to charge the first time so that it can be used. Which means he will have stood in his stall for a WEEK. If we can't get the electric turned on on tonight, then I may go back over to the barn on Friday afternoon and turn him out in his field to eat hay and just sit with him for a few hours myself to "guard the fence" which is bull that I have to do that at all, but whatever. I don't want him standing in his stall like that for that long.
SO that's taken up all of my energy lately. Our christmas didn't end up nearly as quiet or relaxed as I hoped. It ended up rushed and frantic, and stressful, and this barn drama has just added another layer to it that I'm not interested in. The house is a disaster, we opened presents didn't have time to clean up, and made cookies yesterday morning but again, didn't have time to clean up. I'm not happy about any of that. I was SO excited because I didn't have to be in any barns on Christmas, and was looking forward to waking up with my BF and spending a relaxing morning together before we had to go to his parent's for breakfast, but none of that happened that way. Instead I had to get up and finish a present, then wrap several presents for his family, he made cookies, and then in between all of that we opened our gifts to each other. I really don't want to deal with any of it at this point, but there's no real choice. I'm in the office today, and the only good news is that I don't have any farms to take care of, so I get to go home at 2:00, and I guess start cleaning the house.
The BF's cousin invited everyone over to dinner tonight, originally at 4:00, but the two of us and his brothers have to work, so they bumped it back to 5 or so. I don't think we're going because I just don't have the energy to be social any more with all of the crap that's going on and how messy our house is at the moment.
So that's the scoop from around here. Too many things going on, and not enough time, and added stress that is just creating drama that's unnecessary.
I hope everyone else has had beautiful holidays!
So I ended up late getting back from our trip down to the other office in VA, but thankfully the dentist isn't that far from my boss's house. I RACED down to meet him, and they had already started numbing him. They kicked me out of the room before they started work, which didn't make me very happy, but I was also sort of relieved because I was REALLY hungry and I wasn't sure if I could actually be there to watch. He went in at 5:30 and it was only supposed to take 45 minutes. But we didn't leave until 7. The tooth had such long roots that the dentist had to cut the tooth in order to get it out. The BF did SO well, I'm SO proud of him. And you're totally right, @flowerbug he really isn't in that much discomfort. It's really stunk that he hasn't been able to chew properly, but thankfully it's a molar all the way in the back so that's actually way easier than having a bite tooth pulled. He also hasn't been able to drink, which has irritated him, but he's better for it anyway.
Things at the barn aren't improving yet. The BF and I went over there after we were done with his family stuff last night to get the hay cart out of the storage barn where it was so that I can use it to move hay up into Storm's field. I put out a pretty big pile, and then texted TM to let her know that we'd done it and to please put him out in the morning. She texted me back and said no, that the solar charger that my other friend brought over wasn't working and she wasn't putting him out until he had electric back on the field because he "didn't finish his hay net" when he broke out on Sunday. I had collected both of his hay nets after putting the pile of hay in the field, and what was left in the bottom of the bag was not really accessible to him because the bag was hanging so low. It was about 2 mouthfuls of hay. It's normal for horses to leave the last of it in the bottom because it's harder for them to get it out of the bag when it's collapsed. So now my horse has been standing in a stall since Sunday night. I KNOW they're only cleaning it once a day, and some days, if the gal comes late in the day, that means he's been standing in his filthy stall for 36 hours if she comes in the evening and they last cleaned it in the morning the day before. I only hope they're giving him more hay and water in the morning even if they aren't cleaning his stall. I'm REALLY ticked off right now, and would take him out today if I had the ability to do so, but I don't. So tonight the BF is going to come with me BACK to the barn to actually CHECK the charger that my friend dropped off. There is a VERY high likelihood that TM hooked it up wrong, and/or didn't properly check the wire around the field so it isn't holding a charge because the wire is grounding out. If none of those things are the case, then I'll have to go drop $120 on a solar charger, and then it will take another THREE DAYS for the thing to charge the first time so that it can be used. Which means he will have stood in his stall for a WEEK. If we can't get the electric turned on on tonight, then I may go back over to the barn on Friday afternoon and turn him out in his field to eat hay and just sit with him for a few hours myself to "guard the fence" which is bull that I have to do that at all, but whatever. I don't want him standing in his stall like that for that long.
SO that's taken up all of my energy lately. Our christmas didn't end up nearly as quiet or relaxed as I hoped. It ended up rushed and frantic, and stressful, and this barn drama has just added another layer to it that I'm not interested in. The house is a disaster, we opened presents didn't have time to clean up, and made cookies yesterday morning but again, didn't have time to clean up. I'm not happy about any of that. I was SO excited because I didn't have to be in any barns on Christmas, and was looking forward to waking up with my BF and spending a relaxing morning together before we had to go to his parent's for breakfast, but none of that happened that way. Instead I had to get up and finish a present, then wrap several presents for his family, he made cookies, and then in between all of that we opened our gifts to each other. I really don't want to deal with any of it at this point, but there's no real choice. I'm in the office today, and the only good news is that I don't have any farms to take care of, so I get to go home at 2:00, and I guess start cleaning the house.
The BF's cousin invited everyone over to dinner tonight, originally at 4:00, but the two of us and his brothers have to work, so they bumped it back to 5 or so. I don't think we're going because I just don't have the energy to be social any more with all of the crap that's going on and how messy our house is at the moment.
So that's the scoop from around here. Too many things going on, and not enough time, and added stress that is just creating drama that's unnecessary.
I hope everyone else has had beautiful holidays!
- Thread starter
- #2,146
hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
And now I've come down with the cold that everybody has been passing around! 
I decided to take it easy (easier) and stay at home today and work from home. I technically haven't put in quite as many hours as I should have but I've gotten work done and I'll make it up later. My head is stuffed, and my neck and back ache from the effort of breathing, and I really just want to go nap. I think I'll head back to Cowboy and Coyote's for the evening and then come home and lay down for a while. It's warm and raining today, which is just odd.
The good news is that we did manage to finish the driveway over the weekend. I don't have pictures because we were working too hard and fast and into the dark, but we are parking on it! It's fantastic! SO wonderful to park next to our door instead of across the grass.
Not much else to report. My fat pay check is hitting the bank which really helps my budget! ANnnddd there's a really good opportunity that is on the horizon, but I'm in the process of finalizing details, so I don't want to say too much about it yet. If it comes through it could really help the financial situation and my stress levels. Probably won't help my schedule, but it will help the finances at least! So keep your fingers crossed that it comes through!
If I don't hop on here again, yall have a happy new year! I'm grateful for this community, even if I don't get to hang out here as much as I'd like!
I decided to take it easy (easier) and stay at home today and work from home. I technically haven't put in quite as many hours as I should have but I've gotten work done and I'll make it up later. My head is stuffed, and my neck and back ache from the effort of breathing, and I really just want to go nap. I think I'll head back to Cowboy and Coyote's for the evening and then come home and lay down for a while. It's warm and raining today, which is just odd.The good news is that we did manage to finish the driveway over the weekend. I don't have pictures because we were working too hard and fast and into the dark, but we are parking on it! It's fantastic! SO wonderful to park next to our door instead of across the grass.
Not much else to report. My fat pay check is hitting the bank which really helps my budget! ANnnddd there's a really good opportunity that is on the horizon, but I'm in the process of finalizing details, so I don't want to say too much about it yet. If it comes through it could really help the financial situation and my stress levels. Probably won't help my schedule, but it will help the finances at least! So keep your fingers crossed that it comes through!
If I don't hop on here again, yall have a happy new year! I'm grateful for this community, even if I don't get to hang out here as much as I'd like!
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Ugh on being sick! Sorry that the cold caught you! I know you're enjoying the new driveway - that's fantastic. Can't wait to hear about the new opportunity. Really hope it comes through for you!
- Thread starter
- #2,148
hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
Thanks, FEM!!
Day 2 of being sick for real (not just that ick feeling that leaves you wondering if it's going to get better or worse...). I slept horribly last night. I was constantly too hot and then too cold. I think I'll be taking a nap at some point today. I'm supposed to be putting in 4 hours plus making up some of what I didn't do yesterday, but I don't know that I'll get to all of that either. I'm not all that stressed about it at this point. I hope the BF comes home early today so he can take care of me. Of course, even if he doesn't I'm going to spend the day sitting on my butt anyway, so I guess it doesn't really make a difference.
We don't generally do anything for new years, and this year is going to take that to a whole new level. Now I just need to remember to turn off all my notifications on my phone so it doesn't wake me up. The fireworks probably will, but at least the phone won't... And remind the BF to turn off his alarm for tomorrow so we both aren't woken up way too early!
Happy new year, yall!!
Day 2 of being sick for real (not just that ick feeling that leaves you wondering if it's going to get better or worse...). I slept horribly last night. I was constantly too hot and then too cold. I think I'll be taking a nap at some point today. I'm supposed to be putting in 4 hours plus making up some of what I didn't do yesterday, but I don't know that I'll get to all of that either. I'm not all that stressed about it at this point. I hope the BF comes home early today so he can take care of me. Of course, even if he doesn't I'm going to spend the day sitting on my butt anyway, so I guess it doesn't really make a difference.
We don't generally do anything for new years, and this year is going to take that to a whole new level. Now I just need to remember to turn off all my notifications on my phone so it doesn't wake me up. The fireworks probably will, but at least the phone won't... And remind the BF to turn off his alarm for tomorrow so we both aren't woken up way too early!
Happy new year, yall!!
frustratedearthmother
Sustainability Master
Ugh - starting the new year feeling poorly is no fun at all! Hope you feel better and despite the ick I hope you have a wonderful new year!
- Thread starter
- #2,150
hqueen13
<Insert Snazzy Title Here
Thanks, FEM.
I'm almost on the mend, I'm in the icky phase where I'm actually coughing more because now it's breaking up. I'm doing neti pots twice a day, and all sort of other things. I do need to get some cough syrup in order to survive the night tonight, though. I did stay home from the office today, I wasn't going to, but the BF was like you should probably stay home, so I figured he was right. I'm still getting tired so easily when I attempt to do things. After I finished the morning chores I was glad he convinced me to stay home! So I've been working from the couch all day.
There's lots coming up in the next while, so I need to get better quickly! Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling better. I don't think I'll stay for yoga class in the morning, we'll see how I feel when I get up, but since I have triple farm stops tomorrow, I don't think I'll have the energy for yoga on top of all of that. Thankfully it's the last day of TW's farm, and then it's just back to only doing Cowboy and Coyote until the 18th when they're home again.
Still waiting on getting this opportunity finalized and then I can talk about it. I don't want to jinx myself and mess it up before it comes through! I want to get it hammered out though because I'm ready for some positive changes!
So lots on the horizon, but I don't want to talk about too much of it yet... it will be good things though if it all falls into place!
I'm almost on the mend, I'm in the icky phase where I'm actually coughing more because now it's breaking up. I'm doing neti pots twice a day, and all sort of other things. I do need to get some cough syrup in order to survive the night tonight, though. I did stay home from the office today, I wasn't going to, but the BF was like you should probably stay home, so I figured he was right. I'm still getting tired so easily when I attempt to do things. After I finished the morning chores I was glad he convinced me to stay home! So I've been working from the couch all day.
There's lots coming up in the next while, so I need to get better quickly! Hopefully by tomorrow I'll be feeling better. I don't think I'll stay for yoga class in the morning, we'll see how I feel when I get up, but since I have triple farm stops tomorrow, I don't think I'll have the energy for yoga on top of all of that. Thankfully it's the last day of TW's farm, and then it's just back to only doing Cowboy and Coyote until the 18th when they're home again.
Still waiting on getting this opportunity finalized and then I can talk about it. I don't want to jinx myself and mess it up before it comes through! I want to get it hammered out though because I'm ready for some positive changes!
So lots on the horizon, but I don't want to talk about too much of it yet... it will be good things though if it all falls into place!
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